People living in fear of Ebola virus – missionary

An Irish nun working in an area ravaged by the deadly Ebola virus has spoken of people’s fears as the death toll rises.

The Ebola outbreak has spread across West Africa to Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, claiming 1,000 lives. Authorities have struggled to contain the virus, which is contracted by personal contact, and troops have closed borders and quarantined infected areas.

Sr Mary Sweeney, a Cluny Sister from Co. Donegal working in Makeni, Sierra Leone, told The Irish Catholic that people are “very scared”.

“We are in a state of emergency and they have cut out all places for meeting except the church and mosque. People are terrified of going to hospital and there is news of new deaths every day. I heard of one family who went to a funeral and then nine died. When it hits, it hits bad,” she said.

Sr Sweeney said churches areproviding containers of chlorinated water for hand-washing and the Sign of Peace has been suspended.

Scared

“People are very scared and it can hit anyone, even if someone just comes into your house, she said. “We ask that you pray for us.”

John Mitchell, Executive Director of the St John of God Development Company in Dublin, who is in daily contact with their missions in Liberia and Sierra Leone, said the virus has dealt “a significant blow” to the order. 

Br Patrick Nshamdze, Hospital Director in a Saint John of God Brothers hospital in Liberia, died on August 2. Br Miguel Pajares, chaplain to the same hospital, was airlifted home to Spain last Thursday, but died on Tuesday, and a third brother has now been tested positive.

“It is a scary disease, although the number of deaths pales into significance compared to malaria, there is a fear factor because it is not treatable and not curable. But we hope to reopen our hospitals soon and do something about it. We will keep supplying protective clothing, detergents, and we will convert existing buildings into isolation wards. Missionaries are still filling gaps, doing what the government is not doing. We survived civil war in both Liberia and Sierra, and we will survive this,” he said.